


In the Candlelight

by fir3bird



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Drunk Confession, F/M, Love Confessions, Slow Dancing, Waltzing, Widojest - Freeform, kinda angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:22:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23257618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fir3bird/pseuds/fir3bird
Summary: Remember when Caleb got drunk and waltzed with Jester and accidentally talked about Astrid? Well what if that happened AGAIN but he accidentally said too much about how much he loves Jester.
Relationships: Jester Lavorre/Caleb Widogast
Comments: 5
Kudos: 54





	In the Candlelight

Caduceus sat at a table in the corner of the Grim Shelf Tavern in Rexxentrum, drinking his tea and staring concernedly at the wizard across from him, who had been drinking a lot more than he usually does at their tavern visits. Caduceus knew what was going through Caleb’s head, or had a good idea anyways. Rexxentrum was where Caleb had spent many formulative years at the Academy and many more in an asylum outside of the city. Caleb never told Caduceus directly what all had happened here but from Caleb’s uncomfortable demeanor, he could gather it wasn’t a delightful experience. Not to mention that woman named Astrid. Caduceus had a feeling there was some unresolved tension there. So, Caduceus just sat, watching his friend drown himself in ale, both of them pondering Caleb’s life up to this point.  
Caleb sat drinking another mug of ale. He stared at Fjord, Beau, and Jester all sitting at the bar. Jester was chatting away about something while both Fjord and Beau seemed to be half listening and half downing their own drinks. They were both so strong and charismatic and more stable and better for Jester than HE could ever be. Caleb hadn’t even fully figured out the feelings he still has for Astrid, let alone whatever this is he feels about Jester. She deserved to happy, and there’s no way she could ever be happy with a sad wizard like him. As he finished his stein of ale, he started to feel a little unsteady. He should go to bed.  
Caleb looked over at the table Yasha and Veth were sitting at over near the small band on the other side of the tavern. The band was playing very lively music, despite the taverns rather dead atmosphere. Over at the bar, Jester was saying something to Fjord and Beau, who both looked kind of uncomfortable as they tried to politely tell Jester “no” and go back to their drinks. Jester folded her arms over her chest and looked over at Caleb as he started to rise to his feet, steadying himself on the back of the chair. Will you dance with me, Cayyleeb?” she asked, drawing out his name in her adorable accent and batting her long dark eyelashes at the wizard, his knuckles getting whiter as his grip tightened on the chair.  
“Oh, yeah, well I was just going to- “  
“Great! Come on!” Jester grabbed Caleb’s hands and lead him over near the band, where a small space was cleared in a makeshift dance floor. “I remember you like to waltz,” she said as they slipped into the familiar ¾ rhythm of a waltz, despite the music not fitting. But, just like last time they had waltzed, the band noticed, seeing as they were the only people dancing, and switched the music to suit the dance better. Jester looked gently at Caleb, who was looking at the wall behind Jester, half because he was drunk and half because he was afraid to look in her eyes and reveal too much about his feelings for her. “I know last time we danced, you said something about Astrid, and I pried into your life a bit. And then I sent that letter and could have maybe gotten you in trouble. And now we’re in Rexxentrum again and you might see her, so I just wanted to let you know that I support you and I’m sorry for prying last time… “  
Caleb reached up and touched Jester’s cheek lightly. “Your eyes sparkle in the candlelight,” he had turned his gaze to Jester as she rambled and was now staring into her eyes, mesmerized by the deep purple of her eyes.  
Jester had trailed off and was now looking at Caleb’s expression. She’d never seen him look this way at anything. She couldn’t even quite figure out what the expression was. Confusion? Heartache? …Love? “Caleb? Are you…? Are you ok?”  
Caleb stopped dancing and blinked hard a few times. “I should go, and…” he untangled their arms and turned towards the door, “I should go.” Caleb started stumbling towards the door.  
Jester stood staring blankly in front of her, contemplating what just happened, before turning to Caleb. “Hey! I’m not letting you walk back alone.” She yelled as she half ran to catch up with Caleb before he left the tavern. As he put his hand on the door to push it open, he looked at Jester as she stopped next to him, considering telling her to let him leave him be, and he pushed door open and started toward where they were staying.  
“Um, Caleb?” Jester was nervously standing outside the tavern, not wanting to cause Caleb anymore distress, “The inn is this direction…” she said, pointing behind her shoulder. Caleb stopped, still turned around, and sighed, his shoulders dropping. He slowly turned around and kept his eyes low as her walked, a little faster this time, in the correct direction. Jester walked slightly behind him for a moment, thinking of what to say. Caleb stumbled and Jester quickly sped up to grab Caleb’s shoulder and steady him. “Caleb, are you ok? You never drink this much,” she took her hand off his shoulder and wrapped it on her opposite arm, across her chest, “are you okay?” They were approaching the inn now.  
Caleb stopped outside the door and looked into Jester’s beautiful violet eyes for the first time since the waltz. They looked different, in the darker lantern light of the streets, almost black but still sparkling. “You are a remarkable person; did you know that? Goodnight, Blueberry.” His face was full of longing. He didn’t have the energy to hide it for the time being. He turned and walked through the door, up to his room, and collapsed on the bed.  
Jester stood, a little dumbstruck, outside the inn door. She started to go upstairs to her and Beau’s room, and once she was there, she got late out her sketch book to draw and try to figure out what just happened. Jester knew she wasn’t the most knowledgeable about love or relationships. Her only real experience was through the Chateau or the smutty romance novels she and Beau read sometimes. Maybe she didn’t have any practical knowledge about this, and maybe she was reading too much into his face, but she thought that Caleb might like her. Like, LIKE-like her.

**Author's Note:**

> I will not apologize for the full Caduceus paragraph at the beginning. He knows things ok! I love him.


End file.
